A Louis XV gilt-bronze mounted Chinese lacquer and parisian varnish...
the bombé case fitted with two drawers sans traverse with panels of Chinese lacquer depicting figures at various pursuits, pavilions and trees, the drawers outlined with pierced scrolling mounts forming a central cartouche incorporating the handles, each side veneered similarly, raised on cabriole legs headed by gilt-bronze chutes and terminating in sabots, stamped P. ROUSSEL and JME, with a red marble top; (bronzes later addition)
Height 33 1/2 in., width 62 1/3 in., depth 26 1/2 in. ; Haut. 85 cm, larg. 160 cm, prof. 67,5 cm
Catalogue Note:
This elegant commode typifies the fascination for the Orient from the first half of the 18th century, when ébénistes began to incorporate exotic materials such as lacquer into pieces of furniture. Typically, the marchand-merciers were in charge of importing the Chinese and Japanese furniture pieces (screens, chests, etc.), from which lacquer panels were then cut off by the ébénistes. Once transformed into luxury pieces, the furniture pieces were sold to an elite clientele desperate to acquire the latest fashion, initiated in this case by the marchand-mercier Thomas-Joachim Hébert, who had supplied in 1737 a B.V.R.B commode incorporating Japanese lacquer panels to Queen Maria Leszczyńska.
Pierre Roussel (1723-1782)
Pierre Roussel was the son of a Parisian cabinetmaker, and his three brothers all trained as menuisiers. After becoming master in 1745, he established his workshop L'Image de Saint Pierre in the Rue de Charenton in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, and developed a successful workshop, later taken over by his widow and two sons, Pierre Michel and Pierre II. Although he never received a royal commission, he was able to attract a distinguished clientele including the Prince de Condé at the Palais Bourbon and Chantilly. Between 1775 and 1780, he worked for the Prince de Condé and supplied him with 10,000 livres worth of furniture.
The inventory after Roussel's death reveals that a large amount of furniture was in tulipwood, marquetry, bois satiné or amaranth, and many pieces were in lacquer; there were examples in geometric marquetry or parquetry as well as floral motifs and landscapes. At the end, the inventory mentions, among the names of the creditors, that of the master menuisier Rosier, who no doubt made the carcases of Roussel’s furniture, as well as the names of the bronziers Turchin (for 482L), Ravrio (for 200L) and the gilder Trufot (900L).
Jaime Ortiz-Patiño (1930-2013)
The grandson of Simon Iturri Patiño (1860–1947), known as the ‘Rockefeller of the Andes’, and the nephew of Antenor Patiño (1896–1982), he is part of a line of Bolivian magnates who were great art lovers and leading collectors.
Provenance:
Private collection, Paris;
Sotheby’s, Monaco, 23-24 June 1985, lot 823 (2 220 000 FF) sold as from the collection of Mr. T.;
Collection Jaime Ortiz-Patiño, Geneva;
Sotheby’s, New York, 22 May 2001, lot 319 ($302 750);
Europ Auction, 12 March 2010, lot 168 (532 856 EUR).
Literature:
A. Pradère, Les Ébénistes Français de Louis XIV à la Révolution, Paris, 1989, p. 206, fig. 201
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Time, Location
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the bombé case fitted with two drawers sans traverse with panels of Chinese lacquer depicting figures at various pursuits, pavilions and trees, the drawers outlined with pierced scrolling mounts forming a central cartouche incorporating the handles, each side veneered similarly, raised on cabriole legs headed by gilt-bronze chutes and terminating in sabots, stamped P. ROUSSEL and JME, with a red marble top; (bronzes later addition)
Height 33 1/2 in., width 62 1/3 in., depth 26 1/2 in. ; Haut. 85 cm, larg. 160 cm, prof. 67,5 cm
Catalogue Note:
This elegant commode typifies the fascination for the Orient from the first half of the 18th century, when ébénistes began to incorporate exotic materials such as lacquer into pieces of furniture. Typically, the marchand-merciers were in charge of importing the Chinese and Japanese furniture pieces (screens, chests, etc.), from which lacquer panels were then cut off by the ébénistes. Once transformed into luxury pieces, the furniture pieces were sold to an elite clientele desperate to acquire the latest fashion, initiated in this case by the marchand-mercier Thomas-Joachim Hébert, who had supplied in 1737 a B.V.R.B commode incorporating Japanese lacquer panels to Queen Maria Leszczyńska.
Pierre Roussel (1723-1782)
Pierre Roussel was the son of a Parisian cabinetmaker, and his three brothers all trained as menuisiers. After becoming master in 1745, he established his workshop L'Image de Saint Pierre in the Rue de Charenton in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, and developed a successful workshop, later taken over by his widow and two sons, Pierre Michel and Pierre II. Although he never received a royal commission, he was able to attract a distinguished clientele including the Prince de Condé at the Palais Bourbon and Chantilly. Between 1775 and 1780, he worked for the Prince de Condé and supplied him with 10,000 livres worth of furniture.
The inventory after Roussel's death reveals that a large amount of furniture was in tulipwood, marquetry, bois satiné or amaranth, and many pieces were in lacquer; there were examples in geometric marquetry or parquetry as well as floral motifs and landscapes. At the end, the inventory mentions, among the names of the creditors, that of the master menuisier Rosier, who no doubt made the carcases of Roussel’s furniture, as well as the names of the bronziers Turchin (for 482L), Ravrio (for 200L) and the gilder Trufot (900L).
Jaime Ortiz-Patiño (1930-2013)
The grandson of Simon Iturri Patiño (1860–1947), known as the ‘Rockefeller of the Andes’, and the nephew of Antenor Patiño (1896–1982), he is part of a line of Bolivian magnates who were great art lovers and leading collectors.
Provenance:
Private collection, Paris;
Sotheby’s, Monaco, 23-24 June 1985, lot 823 (2 220 000 FF) sold as from the collection of Mr. T.;
Collection Jaime Ortiz-Patiño, Geneva;
Sotheby’s, New York, 22 May 2001, lot 319 ($302 750);
Europ Auction, 12 March 2010, lot 168 (532 856 EUR).
Literature:
A. Pradère, Les Ébénistes Français de Louis XIV à la Révolution, Paris, 1989, p. 206, fig. 201
Estimate
Reserve
Time, Location
Auction House
